1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an original document processing apparatus for conveying mounted original documents to a prescribed position to deliver the documents and to an image forming apparatus having the original document processing apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Photocopies, scanners or the like produced currently typically include an original document processing apparatus, or an automatic document feeder (ADF) for separately feeding the original documents automatically sheet by sheet where the original documents in a plural number are set. In such an original document processing apparatus, original documents are mounted on an original document tray and are separately fed sheet by sheet, and the documents are also conveyed with an original document conveyance section made up of conveyance belts to a prescribed position on a platen glass where a reading apparatus reads the original document images. After the images are read, the original documents are conveyed to an original document delivering section with the conveyance belts thus to be delivered to an original document delivering tray or the like of the original document delivering section.
Some of the above-mentioned original document processing apparatuses are designed to deliver the original documents in the page sequence in a manner of reversing the side of the sheets when original documents in a plural number are sequentially read and delivered.
In order to reverse the side of the original documents, however, conveyance paths become complicated and multiple flappers are required to control the feedings of the original documents. Switching operation of the solenoids for operating flappers therefore become complicated, and conveyance of the original document has to be stopped during the time of switching the solenoids. Furthermore, solenoid ability tends to be lowered by considerable heating-up caused by high solenoid absorption duty.
As a conveyance pass for reversing the side of the original document becomes long, the time required for conveying, reading, and delivering the original documents becomes long, and, in some cases, this further requires many members such as conveyance rollers or the like, thus making the apparatus larger.
This invention is made in view of the above respects, and the purpose of the invention is to provide an original document processing apparatus allowing a conveyance path for delivering original documents in a manner of reversing the side of the sheet to become short and allowing deflection means such as flappers or the like in a fewer number, thus to make the apparatus as a whole smaller, and an image forming apparatus having the original document processing apparatus.
A representative structure of the invention to accomplish the above objects is to structure an original document processing apparatus for conveying the mounted original documents to a prescribed position to deliver the original documents, the original document processing apparatus including a conveyance section for conveying the original document to the prescribed position, an original document delivery section for delivering the original document, a reverse-deliver section having a reverse path for looping and reversing the original document conveyed from the conveyance section to return the original document back to the conveyance section, a first conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section through the reverse path to the conveyance section, a second conveyance path route branching at a midway of the first conveyance path route to the original document delivery section, a third conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section to the original document delivery section, and a first deflection means for introducing the original documents conveyed from the conveyance section selectively to the first conveyance path route or the third conveyance path route.
According to the above structure, the original document processing apparatus having a reverse section in an original document delivery part can introduce the original document to the original document delivery section by selectively switching back the original documents with the use of the second route, and therefore original document processing speed can be improved in comparison with the case where the original documents are once brought back to the conveyance section before sent to the original document delivery section. One deflection means can selectively bring the original document to be conveyed to the reverse-delivery section from the conveyance section to the reverse path or the third conveyance path route, and the original documents not to be reversed or those once returned to the conveyance section can be introduced to the original document delivery section.
Other structure is to structure an original document processing apparatus for conveying the mounted original documents to a prescribed position to deliver those documents, including a conveyance section for conveying the original document to the prescribed position, an original document delivery section for delivering the original document, and a reverse-delivery section having a reverse path for looping and reversing the original documents conveyed from the conveyance section to return the original document to the conveyance section, a first conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section through the reverse path to the conveyance section, a second conveyance path route branching at a midway of the first conveyance path route to the original document delivery section by crossing over the first conveyance path route, and a third conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section to the original document delivery section.
With the above structure, a distance for conveying the original document can be shortened since the second conveyance path route crosses over the first conveyance path route, thus making the structure of the original document delivery section more compact.
In addition, the size of the original document delivery section can be made small by making the length of the reverse path shorter than that of the maximum length of original documents able to be processed according to the structure.
The original document processing apparatus conveying the set original documents to the prescribed position includes a conveyance section for conveying the original document to a prescribed position, an original document delivery section for delivering the original documents, and a reverse-delivery section having a reverse path, with the shorter length than that of the maximum length of the original documents able to be processed, for looping and reversing the original documents conveyed from the conveyance section to return the documents to the conveyance section, a first conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section through the reverse path to the conveyance section, a second conveyance path route branching at a midway of the first conveyance path route to the original document delivery section by crossing over the first conveyance path route, and a third conveyance path route leading from the conveyance section to the original document delivery section where the following structures may be made in which the original document is switched back on the first conveyance path route to be delivered to the original document delivery section through the second conveyance path route when the length of the original document to be conveyed is shorter than that of the reverse path as well as the original document is returned to the conveyance section on the first conveyance path route to be delivered through the third path route to the original document delivery section.
According to the above structure, reversing operation can be selected according to the length of an original document in reversing the document, and therefore in the case that the length of the original document is shorter than that of the reverse path, operation is selected where the original document is switched back on the reverse path to be delivered to the original document delivery section, thereby shortening the conveyance length of the original document and improving the processing speed of the original document. On the other hand, in the case that the length of the original document is longer than that of the reverse path, another operation is selected where the original document is returned to the conveyance section and then delivered to the original document delivery section, so this provides no requirement for the reverse path to be longer than the length required, making the reverse-delivery section compact.
The reverse-delivery section specifically includes respective paths such as an introduction path for introducing the original document conveyed from the conveyance section, a reverse path for looping and reversing the original document passed through the introduction path, a delivery path connecting between the conveyance section and the original document delivery section, and a conveyance path branching at a midway of the reverse path leading to the original document delivery section, where the first deflection means selecting the introduction path or the delivery path can be provided. In this case, the conveyance path can convey the original document switched back on the reverse path to the original document delivery section.